Why is Kanye West's face stricken with joy? Because he has received an honorary doctoral degree from the Art Institute of Chicago.
Kanye is already his own biggest fan but now a centre for higher learning has formally acknowledged his contribution to the world. Being Doctor Kanye West is even more awesome than being regular Kanye West and definitely worth smiling about.
Dr. West gave a speech after accepting the accolade, saying: 'I am a pop artist. So my medium is public opinion and the world is my canvas'
The super confident multi-talent also revealed that he was anxious ahead of the ceremony: 'I felt my nerves a bit and I don’t feel that feeling a lot. The nerves of humility and modesty when being honoured, a humanisation, a reality, of being recognised, and all I thought as I sit here kinda shaking a little bit, is, I need to get rid of that feeling! I need to not be nervous.'
Kim Kardashian was not able to attend in person (she was in Brazil promoting her book, Selfish) but she showed support on social media:
Previous recipients of the honourary doctorate include Patti Smith, Jeff Koons and David Sedaris - the Chicago-based institute awards the distinction to 'influential individuals' whose work is 'always imaginative and aesthetically rich, and sometimes also provocative and controversial, shifting the cultural landscape in significant ways.'
Watch Dr. West's speech below:
